Joan Anderson, who helped create the hula hoop, dies aged 101
She said a friend pointed out that the movement looked like Hawaiian hula dancing, prompting her to dub the toy the hula hoop.Speaking in the 2018 documentary Hula Girl, Ms Anderson, a former model, said her husband Wayne knew toy businessman Arthur 'Spud' Melin and arranged a meeting to pitch the hula hoop for his company, Wham-O. They met Mr Melin in his office car park, she recalled, where he told them the toy had merit and they would be compensated if it made money for Wham-O. A deal was sealed with what Ms Anderson called a "gentleman's handshake".Wham-O developed a colourful plastic version and sold millions within months of its launch.
As the toy became more popular, the couple heard less from Mr Melin, Ms Anderson said. The Andersons filed a lawsuit against Wham-O in 1961, which ended in with a modest settlement and no formal recognition.Born Joan Constance Manning in Sydney on 28 December 1923, she worked as a swimsuit model and met Wayne Anderson, a US Army pilot, on Bondi Beach and married him soon after.Later in life, her story was rediscovered by filmmakers and featured in Hula Girl, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival.
Filmmaker Amy Hill told the BBC: "Telling Joan's story was such a rewarding experience. She was 94 when we met and even with everything she'd been through, she had lived an amazing, full life. "Seeing her finally get the recognition she deserved after all those years was incredible."Ms Anderson is survived by two sons, a daughter and six grandchildren. Another son, Carl, died in 2023.
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